Thousands of Georgians staged a pro-Europe rally in the capital Tbilisi on the country’s Independence Day on Tuesday, to protest what critics say is the government’s democratic backsliding and anti-Western tilt.
The Black Sea nation has been mired in political turmoil since parliamentary elections in 2024, which the opposition says were rigged.
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Opposition parties have refused to recognize the new parliament and government.
Tensions deepened after the government shelved EU membership talks with Brussels until 2028.
That triggered months of street protests followed by a crackdown on demonstrators, opposition figures, civil society groups and independent media.
Waving Georgian and EU flags, thousands of protesters marched through central Tbilisi before staging a rally outside parliament amid a heavy police presence, an AFP journalist saw.
Many held placards reading: “We are Europe” and portraits of jailed former president Mikheil Saakashvili, who pushed for close ties with the West while in office.
“We’ve been out in the streets for more than 500 days, and we’ll keep coming out for as long as it takes to defend Georgia’s European future,” 20-year-old student Maya Khidesheli told AFP.
“People will win in the end. No authoritarian government can stand up to a united people – and we are united,” said another protester, 59-year-old chemist Irakli Nanadze.
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